Note: all credit for the original idea for this idea goes to the user named Lanius. He has become inactive since he said he would create this guide, so I am merely taking the reins. If he returns, I will gladly give this up/delete/change it to his liking. Thanks for reading.
Perks are a weird thing, in that it is a little bit difficult to roleplay suddenly being so much more effective at combat within a few hours of emerging from Vault 111. To remedy this, site member Lanius had a great idea. The basic concept is this: before taking the desired perk, take a “pilgrimage” to an NPC that will give you the knowledge that would allow you to actually take the perk. This results in tons of added immersion, and gets rid of the entire concept of abrupt leveling because you’re actually learning from the people who have been in the wasteland much longer than you. An added bonus is the great opportunity for immersive experiences on the way to the given NPC.
Sometimes, these pilgrimages may not be visiting NPCs, but instead fighting certain enemies or completing certain quests. These are called Combat or Quest Pilgrimages, though they will be rarer than Perk Pilgrimages in this list.
This guide will first outline the people that should be visited before taking any of the perks. It will also occasionally give alternate people to visit should your path in the main quest take you down a path that leaves you enemies with certain factions. Remember, the basic idea of this is just another requirement for perk placement, albeit one placed by the player and purely for immersion’s sake.
Part One: SPECIAL Trainers
Strength (optional):
The reason a Strength pilgrimage is optional is because strength is one of the few SPECIAL skills that can be learned by yourself...that is, it is easier to train yourself to grow stronger than it is to become luckier, or more intelligent. However, if you feel that a sudden increase in strength isn’t immersive, here are some people to visit: Strong, because he is one of the few super mutants that can speak with you. Through various mutterings about the milk of human kindness, it isn’t hard to imagine Strong imparting some wisdom on how to lift heavy objects and bitch slap your enemies harder. For Strength, we also have a potential Combat Pilgrimage. You can fight Swan, defeat him, and learn from his strength.
Perception:
A good choice for the Perception mentor should generally be the most perceptive person around, and for that reason we’ll be choosing Nick Valentine. As a detective, he’s spent years in the wasteland searching for clues and finding things that weren’t meant to be found. However, Perception also has a close tie to weapons proficiency, so Paladin Danse is another choice, especially for characters that aren’t fans of synths. He is a master rifleman and can pass on lots of wisdom for keeping a steady aim. Alternatively, you could also complete a detective quest for Nick Valentine every time you wished to raise your perception, making this our Perception Quest Pilgrimage.
Endurance (optional):
The reason Endurance is optional is because your character should be getting tougher and hardier as they progress in the wasteland anyway. But if you feel like your character isn’t quite there, make a visit to Cait. She’s spent a long time in the fighting ring and knows how to soak up some damage.
Charisma:
The best choice for a Charisma mentor is the post-quest radio announcer Travis. After his turnaround, he becomes a suave talker and cool announcer, and with his new self-confidence should be able to pass on some of his knowledge to you. Better yet, complete the quest with him, and raise your Charisma during the quest, this can simulate you becoming more confident alongside him. This is our Charisma Quest Pilgrimage.
Intelligence:
Smart people generally have smart things to say. For that reason, there are tons of potential Intelligence mentors. Any of the Brotherhood scribes or Institute Doctors make great mentors. Brotherhood scribes have been to many different places in the wasteland and have worldly knowledge to pass on, whereas Institute scribes are purely intelligent and are sure to have some nuggets of knowledge. You could also complete any quest for a Scribe or Doctor to raise your intelligence, making that a Quest Pilgrimage.
Agility (optional):
The reason that Agility is an optional pilgrimage is because you can easily make yourself more agile by simply living in the wasteland. There are plenty of threats that should keep one on their toes and improve your overall fitness. However, trainers for agility can still be necessary. A good mentor is Ronnie Shaw. She is old but still able to fight well, and can handle herself with a weapon as well.
Luck (optional):
Luck is optional because, well, it’s hard to just get luckier. But if you feel a perk pilgrimage for this SPECIAL stat is necessary, a visit to the Ghoulified Vault-Tec Representative is the best choice. After all, he got extremely lucky in surviving the Great War, as well as surviving in the world after it.
Part Two: Perk Trainers
This section will be organized by SPECIAL, starting with strength, and then go 1-10. I will give a trainer or two for three-five of the perks for each SPECIAL stat (do you really want 90 different people to find?).
Strength Perks:
Iron Fist: talk to Cait at the Combat Zone
Big Leagues: talk to Moe Cronin, vendor in Diamond City
Armorer: talk to Proctor Ingram in the Prydwen
Blacksmith: Talk to Arturo Rodriguez in Diamond City, or Tinker Tom in Railroad Headquarters
Strong Back: Talk to Trashcan Carla, the travelling merchant
Perception Perks:
Pickpocket: Talk to Desdemona, Deacon, or MacCready
Rifleman: talk to Preston Garvey in Sanctuary or the Museum of Freedom
Locksmith: talk to Piper or MacCready, in Diamond City or Goodneighbor
Night Person: talk to X6-88 in The Institute, or complete the Silver Shroud questline for a Quest Pilgrimage
Endurance Perks:
Lead Belly: talk to Takahashi in Diamond City
Chem Resistant: talk to any of the doctors at Chem-i-Care
Rad Resistant: survive a trip through the Glowing Sea or the Fog of Far Harbor
Charisma Perks:
Cap Collector: talk to Becky Fallon or Trashcan Carla
Lone Wanderer: complete the quest The Lost Patrol, given by the BoS
Party Boy/Party Girl: talk to Vadim Bobrov in the Dugout Inn
Intelligence Perks:
Hacker: talk to Nick Valentine or Deacon
Science!: talk to any of the Institute doctors
Chemist: visit Drumlins Diner, Hancock, or Chem-i-Care
Robotics Expert: complete any of the Automatron quests or build a robot of your own
Agility Perks:
Gunslinger: talk to Nick Valentine or defeat Kellogg for a Combat Pilgrimage
Commando: talk to Ronnie Shaw or any Brotherhood Knight
Sneak: talk to Deacon in the Railroad HQ
Wrapping Up
I hope this guide and concept were helpful to you. Again, props to Lanius for the kick-ass idea and original comment about it. Remember, the pilgrimages above are merely recommendations. If there’s someone or something you believe better fits, please use that instead. And if you have any recommendations for how I can improve this guide, please drop those as well.
Thanks for reading.
PCTY Out.
Note: all credit for the original idea for this idea goes to the user named Lanius. He has become inactive since he said he would create this guide, so I am merely taking the reins. If he returns, I will gladly give this up/delete/change it to his liking. Thanks for reading.
Perks are a weird thing, in that it is a little bit difficult to roleplay suddenly being so much more effective at combat within a few hours of emerging from Vault 111. To remedy this, site member Lanius had a great idea. The basic concept is this: before taking the desired perk, take a “pilgrimage” to an NPC that will give you the knowledge that would allow you to actually take the perk. This results in tons of added immersion, and gets rid of the entire concept of abrupt leveling because you’re actually learning from the people who have been in the wasteland much longer than you. An added bonus is the great opportunity for immersive experiences on the way to the given NPC.
Sometimes, these pilgrimages may not be visiting NPCs, but instead fighting certain enemies or completing certain quests. These are called Combat or Quest Pilgrimages, though they will be rarer than Perk Pilgrimages in this list.
This guide will first outline the people that should be visited before taking any of the perks. It will also occasionally give alternate people to visit should your path in the main quest take you down a path that leaves you enemies with certain factions. Remember, the basic idea of this is just another requirement for perk placement, albeit one placed by the player and purely for immersion’s sake.
Part One: SPECIAL Trainers
Strength (optional):
The reason a Strength pilgrimage is optional is because strength is one of the few SPECIAL skills that can be learned by yourself...that is, it is easier to train yourself to grow stronger than it is to become luckier, or more intelligent. However, if you feel that a sudden increase in strength isn’t immersive, here are some people to visit: Strong, because he is one of the few super mutants that can speak with you. Through various mutterings about the milk of human kindness, it isn’t hard to imagine Strong imparting some wisdom on how to lift heavy objects and bitch slap your enemies harder. For Strength, we also have a potential Combat Pilgrimage. You can fight Swan, defeat him, and learn from his strength.
Perception:
A good choice for the Perception mentor should generally be the most perceptive person around, and for that reason we’ll be choosing Nick Valentine. As a detective, he’s spent years in the wasteland searching for clues and finding things that weren’t meant to be found. However, Perception also has a close tie to weapons proficiency, so Paladin Danse is another choice, especially for characters that aren’t fans of synths. He is a master rifleman and can pass on lots of wisdom for keeping a steady aim. Alternatively, you could also complete a detective quest for Nick Valentine every time you wished to raise your perception, making this our Perception Quest Pilgrimage.
Endurance (optional):
The reason Endurance is optional is because your character should be getting tougher and hardier as they progress in the wasteland anyway. But if you feel like your character isn’t quite there, make a visit to Cait. She’s spent a long time in the fighting ring and knows how to soak up some damage.
Charisma:
The best choice for a Charisma mentor is the post-quest radio announcer Travis. After his turnaround, he becomes a suave talker and cool announcer, and with his new self-confidence should be able to pass on some of his knowledge to you. Better yet, complete the quest with him, and raise your Charisma during the quest, this can simulate you becoming more confident alongside him. This is our Charisma Quest Pilgrimage.
Intelligence:
Smart people generally have smart things to say. For that reason, there are tons of potential Intelligence mentors. Any of the Brotherhood scribes or Institute Doctors make great mentors. Brotherhood scribes have been to many different places in the wasteland and have worldly knowledge to pass on, whereas Institute scribes are purely intelligent and are sure to have some nuggets of knowledge. You could also complete any quest for a Scribe or Doctor to raise your intelligence, making that a Quest Pilgrimage.
Agility (optional):
The reason that Agility is an optional pilgrimage is because you can easily make yourself more agile by simply living in the wasteland. There are plenty of threats that should keep one on their toes and improve your overall fitness. However, trainers for agility can still be necessary. A good mentor is Ronnie Shaw. She is old but still able to fight well, and can handle herself with a weapon as well.
Luck (optional):
Luck is optional because, well, it’s hard to just get luckier. But if you feel a perk pilgrimage for this SPECIAL stat is necessary, a visit to the Ghoulified Vault-Tec Representative is the best choice. After all, he got extremely lucky in surviving the Great War, as well as surviving in the world after it.
Part Two: Perk Trainers
This section will be organized by SPECIAL, starting with strength, and then go 1-10. I will give a trainer or two for three-five of the perks for each SPECIAL stat (do you really want 90 different people to find?).
Strength Perks:
Iron Fist: talk to Cait at the Combat Zone
Big Leagues: talk to Moe Cronin, vendor in Diamond City
Armorer: talk to Proctor Ingram in the Prydwen
Blacksmith: Talk to Arturo Rodriguez in Diamond City, or Tinker Tom in Railroad Headquarters
Strong Back: Talk to Trashcan Carla, the travelling merchant
Perception Perks:
Pickpocket: Talk to Desdemona, Deacon, or MacCready
Rifleman: talk to Preston Garvey in Sanctuary or the Museum of Freedom
Locksmith: talk to Piper or MacCready, in Diamond City or Goodneighbor
Night Person: talk to X6-88 in The Institute, or complete the Silver Shroud questline for a Quest Pilgrimage
Endurance Perks:
Lead Belly: talk to Takahashi in Diamond City
Chem Resistant: talk to any of the doctors at Chem-i-Care
Rad Resistant: survive a trip through the Glowing Sea or the Fog of Far Harbor
Charisma Perks:
Cap Collector: talk to Becky Fallon or Trashcan Carla
Lone Wanderer: complete the quest The Lost Patrol, given by the BoS
Party Boy/Party Girl: talk to Vadim Bobrov in the Dugout Inn
Intelligence Perks:
Hacker: talk to Nick Valentine or Deacon
Science!: talk to any of the Institute doctors
Chemist: visit Drumlins Diner, Hancock, or Chem-i-Care
Robotics Expert: complete any of the Automatron quests or build a robot of your own
Agility Perks:
Gunslinger: talk to Nick Valentine or defeat Kellogg for a Combat Pilgrimage
Commando: talk to Ronnie Shaw or any Brotherhood Knight
Sneak: talk to Deacon in the Railroad HQ
Wrapping Up
I hope this guide and concept were helpful to you. Again, props to Lanius for the kick-ass idea and original comment about it. Remember, the pilgrimages above are merely recommendations. If there’s someone or something you believe better fits, please use that instead. And if you have any recommendations for how I can improve this guide, please drop those as well.
Thanks for reading.
PCTY Out.
